Bizarre Thefts of Bihar: Pond Vanishes, Hut Appears in Darbangha District; Land Mafia's Role Alleged

The pond apparently was filled by a land mafia who is accused of doing so to take over the land, reports said, adding that the surprise appearance of a hut prompted locals to call the police

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 1 January 2024 10:13 am

Locals had also complained to the authorities when the land mafia had started filling the pond.

Remember the bridge and engine theft episodes of Bihar? In another similar bizarre incident in the state, an entire "pond" has reportedly been stolen in Darbangha district, leaving locals puzzled.??????

The pond was reportedly “stolen” overnight and a hut was constructed on the area instead.?

The pond apparently was filled by a land mafia who is accused of doing so to take over the land, reports said, adding that the surprise appearance of a hut prompted locals to call the police.?

The pond was publicly owned and even maintained for fishing and other activities, an NDTV report cited?locals as claiming. Rising land prices in Darbhanga, however, made the mafia set their eyes on the water body, the report said.

Locals had initially complained to the authorities when the pond-filling started, having the zonal officials briefly stop?the work and make?some seizures?but the mafia carried out the levelling work secretly in the dark till the water body entirely vanished.

"People say the pond was filled with soil within 10-15 days. The work was done only at night. Officials had visited the spot earlier and even seized some items," the report quoted Amit Kumar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), as saying.

In a similar bizarre theft incident, an entire diesel engine was stolen in parts from a railway yard in Begusarai in November 2022.

The same year, an entire 60-foot bridge was stolen in Bihar's Rohtas district using JCBs and gas cutters. Eight people, including a government officer, were arrested and 247 kg of iron channels were recovered from the accused.